Revival of the War
by Rabbit Yinyueduo
Summary: R+R!!!! Duo is a slight solvent abuser and some guy gets a bolt thru his middle... Intreresting stuff if I do say so myself!!! There you have it from the RABBIT!!!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1 ****

Chapter 1

"Get – Out – Now!" Shouted the tall seventeen year old. He span to face the two people who stood in his doorway. They stared at him in shock; they had not expected this reaction from the ex-Gundam pilot. 

"But Duo…"

"I don't wanna hear it Preventer Water." He hissed sarcastically.

"Maxwell… If you'll just listen for a moment…"

"Wufei, enough! Now get out before I throw you out!!" Duo began to walk forward, his long braid swinging threateningly behind him. Sally Po and Wufei Chang looked at him in pure wonder. When he was only a couple of paces away they realised he wasn't joking. His blue eyes seemed to flash dangerously and his chestnut hair framed a face that showed nothing but anger.

"The last war was supposed to be the war to end all wars. It seems it wasn't. That is all I need to know before I continue with my life. I suggest you do the same." Duo's voice had dropped to a low growl and he stopped walking when the he was a few inches in front of them. Neither of the Preventers knew what to do. They stood there in complete amazement. Duo finally brought them back to their senses when he pushed them out of the door, hard, and slammed it in their faces.

"That went well." Commented Wufei sarcastically.

"Don't be too hard on him. He was looking forward to peace so much." Sighed Sally as she picked herself up off the floor. Wufei just snorted and the pair wandered down the corridor and out of the apartment block. They still had another four cards to play in their hand.

~

Duo released his tight grip on the door handle. A fine film of sweat covered his face and beads slid down his cheeks. He tried to slow his breathing, but it didn't work. He was just too infuriated to be calmed at that moment. Slowly he turned and stalked towards the window. Sun poured through, illuminating his small apartment. The low rectangular table that graced the middle of the floor was covered by old newspapers with bits of scrap metal and wiring on the top. A small can of oil stood half empty near the edge and the cool metal glinted in the yellow light. A small TV sat in the far corner and a high backed chair was resting against the far wall. Duo stared at it all and let out a long breath before turning his attention to the outside world. The streets were busy, but everything appeared to move in slow motion. The hot weather had been around for days and the summer was due to get hotter. It made everyone look as if they were battling their way through a heavy blanket. No one could move quickly as the humidity made the world seem sleepy. But the streets were still full and work still continued at it's fast and unrelenting pace.

Duo could see Sally and Wufei getting into their car and driving away. He didn't feel guilty in the least. How could they ask him to kill again? He'd just put that behind him and started his new life. A clean page as a top-notch mechanic. And then along walked the Preventers saying 'Sorry you've enjoyed peace but we want you to commit mass murder again… Please.' Duo couldn't bare the thought. And hadn't they just blown up their Gundams last year? How was he supposed to fight without Deathscythe? The window, the room and the streets below gave him no answers and no comfort.

Just as he was about to get back to rebuilding the junk that graced his living room table he saw a figure moving swiftly through the crowds. It seemed to be unhindered by the intense heat wave and had no reservations about dodging the trolleys and bags that got in the way. Duo rubbed his eyes, he was sure he recognised the person, even from so far away. It seemed to be wearing a pair of denim jeans and a sage green tank top. But it couldn't be. Not after so long and not on L2… It couldn't be Heero Yuy. Could it?

"Nah." Said Duo to the surrounding space. "He'd never come here. Why would he?… Who am I kidding, I know it was him. So being the nosey guy I am I'll go see what he's doin' here… Yeah…" Duo's voice trailed off into a sigh as he mentally berated himself for making the biggest mistake of his life. Grabbing his black jacket from the back of the door he ran out of his apartment, barely remembering to lock it behind him. He slid down the cold metal banister and sped out of the block. Now he was outside he tried to remember in which direction the Heero look-alike was headed. He didn't need to bother though.

"Hn." A grunt came from the alley that took people around the back of the block. It was always dark and shaded because of the oversized building on the other side. Duo whipped around so fast that his braid flew out and the momentum sent it straight around his neck like a scarf. Pulling it off his windpipe, Duo sent it back over his shoulder in one fluid movement.

"What?" He said, squinting into the darkness. Slowly a fairly tall person stepped out. His untidy mass of dark brown hair framed his emotionless face and emphasised a pair of Prussian blue eyes. The eyes seemed to search Duo, as if he was looking for a hidden weapon or dangerous item that could harm him.

"Hello Heero! How're ya doin'?" Said Duo in an overly cheerful voice. He sighed again inwardly; he hadn't been the loud-mouthed joker in a long time.

"What do you want?" Said Heero in his toneless voice. Duo paused stunned. A small part of him was still angry with Wufei and Sally and that part was just intensified as he found himself being questioned outside his own home. Duo snapped for the second time that day.

"I happen to live here, Heero, if it's any of your concern! What do you want? No actually don't answer that! See ya 'round… Oh, and watch out for Wufei and Sally, you're probably next on their list!" Duo turned sharply on his heel and started to head towards the crowds. He had no idea where he was going; he just knew that it had to be away from the people he happened to know. As he allowed the slow rush to carry him in any direction he felt someone catch his arm. It was Heero.

"What do you mean 'watch out for Wufei and Sally'?" Duo didn't answer and Heero tugged him out of the flow. Duo stared at the pavement. His mind was still reeling and his stomach was beginning to lurch as he realised just what Wufei and Sally had said. Now the initial anger was gone the shock and realisation was making him feel physically ill. Heero watched as Duo turned several shades paler. His bangs were plastered to his face as sweat continued to pour out of him. He didn't find this surprising as Duo was still in black even after all this time. Finally Duo spoke quietly.

"I'm not gonna tell you where we can be overheard. I did learn some discretion during the war." Duo started down a side street and Heero followed. Eventually the one time God of Death entered a small park that was deserted. He sat down on a small bench and rested his elbows on his knees. Heero also sat and waited to find out what he needed to know. Duo took a deep breath and then told him of the impending war.

As Duo finished outlining the basic facts that he was aware of Heero's mind began to reel at the prospect. He had sworn never to kill again and now the old Gundam pilots were being rounded up and asked to help. He couldn't do it, but something inside him told him he would. He would because, even after all this time, he was still a soldier. He was a soldier that was being called to war and that was something he couldn't dispute.

Duo glanced up at Heero and saw that the news seemed to have no effect on the ex-Wing Zero pilot. This was not surprising and Duo felt as if he was now only in the way. He stood up abruptly, but found that was a big mistake. The world started to spin and the usually well-defined edges of humanity became a blur of colour. Heero noticed that Duo was beginning to sway and stood to steady him.

"You okay?" Heero asked.

"Sure, fine. It's been nice talking to ya Heero, but I've got to get back to work." Duo made to leave but found that he was falling as the world swam in and out of focus. In a last ditch attempt to stop himself from hitting the ground with unwanted force Duo through an arm in front of his face. The last thing he remembered was hearing someone cursing before he was lost in a sea of shadow.

~

The clock in the hallway struck midnight as a young blonde boy slowly began to make his way to bed. It had been a long day and tomorrow promised to be an even longer one. The Arabian found himself performing his old habit of counting the steps to bed. He hadn't done that in years, he hadn't done it since before his father died. The seventeen year old paused outside his door for a moment and surveyed the corridor. The pictures on the walls showed his various sisters at different ages and a few held images of him as a young child. The clean white walls gave the corridor a neat and finished feel that was softened by the red carpet. A wide yawn forced itself out of the boy and he finally gave in to his need for sleep. He quietly pushed his door open and stepped inside. Fumbling for a few seconds he found the light switch and flicked it on. As he looked up he saw the strangest sight. His window was wide open and two people were in his room. One was perched on his desk and the other was leaning against the window frame. Before he could say anything the female spoke.

"Well Quatre, long time – no see… Eh?" Sally smiled at Quatre's loss for words. Finally he managed a weak statement.

"Er… Hi guys… I guess…" He trailed off and Wufei chuckled slightly.

"We have a proposition to make on behalf of the Preventers. Care to listen?"

"Sure." Said Quatre, shock and a lack of sleep caused him to lose all of his usual eloquence.

"Wufei let him at least sit down first. Sorry to be calling on you so late Quatre but this is important." Sally spoke quickly and didn't miss a beat as she turned from Wufei to Quatre in one swift turn of phrase.

"That's okay. So, what can I do for you?" Quatre pulled up a chair and faced the pair of them. He didn't think they would come all of this way to say 'Hello' and he was right. Even if the details on the new war were the last things he expected to hear.

~

"So, you're awake." The blank voice penetrated Duo's thoughts as he fought to reach an upright position.

"Wha'?" Was all he could manage as the world refocused, showing him his own apartment.

"You passed out." Was the machine-like reply.

"Oh." Duo said. He found that he was facing the window of the apartment and that the sun was setting, casting it's orange glow through his living room. Heero stood looking at the streets below, his shape a silhouette against the slowing darkening sky. Duo stood, shakily and discovered that this was a bad idea. His head throbbed with a lot of force and he felt as if he had just done twelve rounds against Deathscythe. Heero turned to face him, moving his attention from the outside world and back to reality. Duo wanted to know why he had blacked out, but a stubborn streak in him forced him not to ask. Instead he altered the course of conversation and used a different strategy.

"Have you decided what you're gonna do yet?" Duo's voice seemed straightforward. But Heero was sure that there was now more to the boy than met the eye.

"Yes." Heero played his caution card. He was certain that this was no longer the Duo he knew.

"Well, what are ya gonna do?" Duo kept a constant check on his voice and reactions to the statements. _'Frighteningly cheery – check. Sickeningly oblivious – check. Dumb look – check.'_

"I'm not going to say at the moment." Said Heero. He knew that Duo was hiding something. A small part of him felt some concern for his one time friend. Unfortunately that was a very small part. The larger part had decided that Duo was to be treated with the caution of an enemy until it was proven otherwise.

"Okay." Replied Duo. And that was his first big mistake. He knew as soon as he caved in quickly that Heero would catch on, but he was too late to prevent this. A year ago he would have badgered Heero until he was either threatened with death or grew exceedingly bored. The former of these seemed to be the most likely. He didn't want to tell anyone that something was wrong until he actually knew what it was. Since he didn't know yet, he decided that Heero would just have to live with a lack of information.

"You've changed." Murmured Heero. Duo heard this and pondered it for a while. Then he carefully planned his answer in his swift mind.

"Yep. I have a mild temper these days, but that's about it." He laughed at the end of this in traditional 'Duo' style and let Heero feast on that for a while. He wandered over to his small table and began to rearrange his junk so he could put it back together in a different order. He was about to start cleaning the corroded mess when he realised he still only had the oilcan and not the cleaning fluid. He quickly rose and fetched it from the kitchen cupboard, not having realised that Heero was still there. He had temporarily forgotten the ex-Gundam pilot's existence.

Heero noticed this and the small part of him that felt concern grew slightly. Duo had seemed as happy as the rest with his new life, so what had gone wrong to change him so drastically? No amount of work could ever do that to the over active, hyper energetic American. Even the news on the impending war couldn't do so much in such a short space of time.

Duo placed a small white bottle on the edge of the table with great care and began to examine one of his 'specimens'. He didn't know what made him look up, but he did and saw Heero observing his work.

"New job." He offered by way of explanation. Heero just grunted.

"You staying anywhere Heero?" Heero turned his attention away from the white bottle that had caught his eye and back onto Duo.

"Hn." He gave a non-committal grunt, the same way he usually did when he was caught not paying attention. Duo looked back towards his work.

"There's a spare room over there if you want to use it." He said and made a vague gesture with his hand. "Oh, and thanks for dragging me back from the park."

Heero just nodded and stalked off in his usual manner. He only hoped the morning would bring him more answers and less questions. He also needed to talk to Wufei and Sally fast.

~

"Thank you, you've been a wonderful audience! Goodnight!" Trowa heard the manager declare to the crowd. He had just finished changing from his clown outfit into his normal clothes and was going to check on the animals when he heard the tent flap crack. Spinning round he saw no one, but there was no wind to move the heavy orange material. He was not convinced that it was his imagination, but continued on his way.

The animals stopped making a fuss as soon as Trowa approached. They had liked him on sight and they knew that he was a friend. Gathering the feed from a nearby crate, Trowa began to prepare everything for that night and the next morning. The night air was cool and the sun was no longer visible in the sky. Countless stars graced the heavens, sparkling like thousands of tiny diamonds in a pool of onyx. Nothing could have been more serene in the ex-Heavyarms pilot's eyes. Trowa had almost forgotten his suspicions concerning the tent flap when he heard a snap behind him and span around in time to see a shadow that moved before blending black on black.

Old reflexes took over and the acrobat placed everything he was holding on top of the now closed food crate. He showed no signs of having noticed the break in the calm atmosphere, but monitored every corner with the utmost care and attention. Trowa was certain that there was someone hiding in the shadows, but hoped that he was wrong. Battle instincts screeched a warning and reminded him of every time he had been in a similar situation. Although he knew it was unlikely, Trowa wished that he had made a mistake, just for once.

Trowa had a lot of patience, unfortunately it seemed that this was something his opponent lacked. Unfortunate for his opponent anyway. The figure made a sudden lunge at Trowa from the far corner, a gun aimed at his throat. Trowa sidestepped and ducked swiftly, catching the other person's wrist and relieving him of the gun. Spinning into a roll, the assassin used his extra momentum to swing round and try to sweep Trowa's legs from under him. This was an extreme error of judgement. Trowa flipped as soon as he saw what his opponent intended and landed behind him. Grabbing his supporting arm, he pushed him to the floor, face down and rammed his arm high up the middle of his back.

"Why are you here?" Trowa said, his voice dangerously calm and calculated.

"I will not fail her." Was all the person replied. Trowa saw his free hand reach out for the gun and deftly swept it up into his own grasp.

"Who do you work for?" Trowa questioned, but began to see the futility of this exercise very quickly. Hauling the person up he backed him against the lion's cage. Then he saw his attacker's face. It was a young man, not much older than himself. He tried to look unconcerned, but a fear was rooted deep into his eyes and seemed to be etched on his soul. Trowa tried to ignore that fearful gaze as he used it to his advantage.

"Do not make me repeat myself again." Trowa's voice turned hard and cold. The young man felt shivers race up and down as spine as the voice grated in his ears and forced him to respond.

"I work for my Lord." His young voice wavered slightly and he fought to keep the uncontrollable tremors out of it.

"What is your name?" Trowa kept the gun trained on the man.

"I am called Dean Farthingale."

"Now we're getting somewhere Dean. Why did you attack me and who is 'my Lord'?"

"I cannot say…"

"Tell me now." Trowa pushed the point, forcing his appearance to be harsh and deathly. He didn't want to press the young man too hard. It was obvious he lacked much field experience, never mind the training that was involved in infiltration and assassination.

"I am a member of the… I cannot say! They will kill me!" Dean's eyes suddenly made sense. He was afraid of Trowa, but the deep fear that penetrated his soul was for his own people.

"No one else is here. Who do you work for."

"I… I…" Dean's voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want to kill you. I don't want to do this, but if I don't they will kill me… Please believe me. I work for… for my Lord Edward Althelstan. I am a member of the Professor's personal guard… She doesn't want this, but she has no choice!" Suddenly he began to speak in a rush, as if he very little time left.

"Help the Professor, please! She is powerless while she is on the inside… You must help her! You are one of them, go to the person you know well and not at all! Ask him to help Dr. M-!" His voice was cut short as a bolt pierced his chest. Trowa span around, but there was nothing in the night.

"They will be gone… You are safe for tonight… Move quickly, ask for Dr… Dr. Eli… M…" His eyes widened as they fell blank. Trowa found that he was helpless to do anything. Dean was already dead.

"I didn't even hear all of the name." Trowa spoke to the animals around him as they gazed sadly on the sight before them. Trowa knew what he had to do though. He had to talk to Wufei and see if the Preventers knew who this Edward Athelstan was and he had a riddle to solve.

"If it was worth his betraying his own people for, then surely it's worth listening to. They killed him when he told or when he failed, I wonder which. Something isn't right here." The animals seemed to give a silent agreement and Trowa removed the body and all evidence of the fray. That night he disappeared into the background and didn't even leave a note for his colleges; again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 ****

Chapter 2

__

"What is it?" Asked a young boy. He brushed his messy brown hair out of his eyes and stared over her shoulder.

"I'm not sure… Just a minute…" A girl of about the same age said.

"Well?" He prompted.

"Geez! Have a little bit of patience!" Laughed the girl. She typed in a few more commands before allowing him to look at the monitor. As she span around on the chair her long mahogany brown hair swung out behind her, just missing the boy's face.

"You wanna watch where you swing that thing! It could be classed as a dangerous weapon!" He said playfully. The girl gave him a mock scowl in return as she put her plait back over her shoulders and returned her jade green gaze to the screen.

The two children read in silence.

"So this is the next part of our programme?" He questioned.

"Yep! Intriguing innit?" She said, but her voice held very little laughter this time.

"And you're sure we're in the right file, yeah?"

"Of course I'm sure! I am the 'Ultimate Nemesis' after all." She replied. The boy chuckled. He had given her that nickname and it had stuck. She was the 'Ultimate Nemesis' in every sense.

"Had enough here?" She asked him.

"Sure." As soon as he gave his reply her fingers worked at a blurring rate over the keyboard. The computer protested at her insistence, but eventually gave in to her will.

"What about here?" He looked at the monitor and scanned all of the file names with his deep Prussian blue eyes.

"What's that one?" He enquired, his voice sounding confused.

"Let's take a peek, shall we?" Giggled the girl. Opening the file in a few moments the two youngsters now scanned the contents of a file marked 'Alterations – Training'.

"No…" Breathed the girl.

"They're kidding…"

"You have to get away from here. They can't know that you still feel emotion after the 'incident'. They'll retrain you again using this!" Her voice rose with shock, but she quickly remembered herself and lowered her tone.

"That's not what I'm looking at. They'll never know what I feel unless I let them find out. I don't plan on letting that happen. Read on." She complied, but with a great look of apprehension creasing her face. As she read the rest she found plans for her own death. Her eyes grew wide as she saw how her own side planned to remove her from 'Operation Meteor'. Then she read slightly further than her friend and exited the file before he had a chance to catch up.

"What did it say?"

"Not much. We have to go now, they'll catch us if we're here much longer."

"Okay." He agreed. But the sudden change in his best friend's attitude concerned him. "I'll talk to Doctor J tomorrow. There must be something we can do. He'd never allow this to happen."

"He has no choice in the matter. Look at your retraining. He didn't want to do it but he did."

"Don't be like that Nemesis. We'll sort it out, I promise."

"Okay." She said, keeping the worry and disbelief out of her voice and returning it to it's usual monotone state.

"See you in the morning." He stated, doing the same with his own vocal chords. There was a noise above and he nodded to his only friend as he left swiftly and silently. As soon as she saw his back disappear into the shadows she spoke softly into the night.

"No Heero. You won't." Turning towards her own exit she blended with the dark corridors. She didn't see him back track and watch her leave. He wanted to stop her, but something told him that this was the only way.

Heero woke up abruptly.

~

Wufei and Sally waited for Quatre by their car. The young blonde had taken the news better than they had expected, although that was probably due to the fact that it was five in the morning before they had finished explaining the entire situation to him. As soon as they had told Quatre the basics he wouldn't stop until he knew everything. The only sad thing was that the two Preventers knew he had, more likely than not, found several ways in which to blame himself for the situation. As Quatre approached he turned towards Rashid and some of his other friends and waved a farewell. Swinging a small pack into the open boot, Quatre regarded Wufei and Sally.

"Were to then?" He said, his voice still slightly thick from lack of sleep.

"We need to find Heero and Trowa. Any ideas?" Asked Sally as they entered the car and Wufei switched the engine on. The car roared into life and they headed away from everything Quatre knew.

"Trowa could be back with his old circus troop… That's all I can think of for him… And Heero? Your guess is as good as mine. Though I hope he's okay…" Quatre's voice sounded doubtful and troubled as realised how little contact the five of them had kept since the end of the final war.

"I'm sure that they're fine." Sally said by way of encouragement and Wufei gave a short nod from the driver's seat.

"They know how to look after themselves. Our job now is to find out where they're doing it." His voice sounded sure and left no room for argument.

"I hope you're right Wufei." Was all Quatre said in reply.

Silence smothered the car like a thick pillow suffocates it victim, stifling all sound. Quatre let his head rest against the smooth glass of the car window as his thoughts strolled over every detail he had learned of the war. Suddenly a worry that had been prodding his mind surfaced and he gave an involuntary gasp at his thoughtlessness.

"You still haven't told me what Duo's going to do. You said you'd already seen him, but you didn't tell me how he was or what he said!" Sally let out a soft sigh and Wufei snorted quietly from the front. He had been waiting for this question from Quatre for a while.

"He will be having nothing to do with this battle." Wufei said. He did not need to turn around to know what the Arabian's reaction would be. Quatre's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth hung slightly open as he fought for something to say and his slight body was bolt upright in his seat as if he had tried to jump up but had been stopped by the safety belt.

"You can't be serious! He refused to fight?!" Quatre's voice was barely above a whisper, but there was plenty of feeling there all the same. Sally just nodded her head and averted her gaze to look through the windscreen and observe the scenery. Wufei's attention suddenly became extremely fixed on the road ahead.

Quatre leaned back and allowed his head to fall forward as he kept his line of sight firmly down. Finally he decided that he couldn't worry about Duo just then. As soon as they found the others then he could try and talk to Zero Two and try and persuade him to join them. But until then he would just have to bide his time and meet the rest of his friends.

~

Duo was still hard at work when Heero stalked in. His head was bent low over a small and decidedly rusty piece of metal as he rubbed hard over each miniscule area. A small glint of silver could be seen on the very edge and Duo appeared to resurrecting the entire component. Duo heard Heero enter and paused briefly, glancing up to see what sort of greeting he could expect; if any.

Heero looked fine, but it was obvious to Duo that he hadn't slept well. Deciding to try and act slightly normal he spread a grin over his face and spoke.

"Hiya Heero! Watcha doin' today?" Duo's voice was light and cheery, but there was something in it that screamed 'change' to Heero. He just wished he knew what it was. Until he could find out or get in touch with Sally and Wufei he would simply have to wait.

"Hn." He replied. Not the most creative of answers, but it was perfect if you didn't know how to respond. Duo just looked up sharply, a quick retort on the edge of his tongue, but he held it back. He really wanted to know where his temper and change of attitude had come from. He hated the new 'Duo' almost as much as Heero did. Gathering his wits he continued in a perfect replica of his old self. The person he wished he still was.

"That much idea eh? Well, I tell ya, you came to the wrong colony for stuff to do. Best thing here is the metal and that about wraps the place up." Laughing he placed some more of the cleaning fluid on the old greasy cloth he'd been using and continued to polish the metal with unparalleled accuracy.

Heero wandered over to the window and pushed it open. Duo kept cleaning, but watched the pilot with suspicious eyes. He caught himself just before Heero turned back around and lowered his gaze.

__

'Why am I watching Heero like an enemy? He helped me when I blacked out so why am I treating him like an undercover Oz official? Why? I hate that I'm doing this. It reminds me of Zero before Heero tamed him. I'll figure it out, but I won't let anyone else know for now. Yeah , Duo, nice and easy… I'm crazy…' Duo forced himself out of his own thoughts as he finished polishing the scrap he was holding. It was sparkling in the midmorning light and shone blindingly bright in Duo's eyes. Placing it back down on the table Duo started on yet another component. They just didn't end for the ex-soldier and he battled on bravely. He would have to visit the workshop later on that day with the completed sections and place them in some kind of order ready for assembly. As soon as the pile was finished he would have all the pieces of the busted car engine ready for him to slot, weld and solder back in place. His client would be happy and he would get another customer with an equally impossible problem.

To the company Duo had been a find. He could fix almost everything in any condition and it was completely amazing to them. That was why Duo was allowed to work at home so much, as well as in the workshop. As long as he kept on fixing and raking in the business they didn't mind. Some people had even started asking the manager for him to deal with their engines etc. personally because he was so good. Not that the manager would ever let Duo know this. The young kid might start a business of his own and then what would happen?

Heero breathed in deeply as fresh air poured in through the window. The fumes from the fluid Duo was using were dreadful and he wondered how the braided idiot didn't even notice them.

__

'Solvent abuse?' Heero smiled inwardly at the thought of his friend being an accidental solvent abuser. But Duo probably was intoxicated by now if he always worked with the window shut. Pushing himself off the window frame Heero prepared to do something he had never done before. He prepared to make conversation.

"What time do you have work today?" He said, his voice was still blank but he wasn't going to push this too far. Duo flicked his eyes up over and thought for a few seconds before answering.

"I got most of these done last night so… I'll have to drop the finished ones off at work… But that does put me ahead of schedule so… I'll be pretty much bored most of today… That's the way things work here…" He kept breaking his sentences as he constantly moved the object and rubbed with vigour, ensuring not a smudge was left on it's almost perfect exterior.

"Oh…" said Heero. He had no idea how to keep the conversation going, but tried anyway.

"Aren't you going to fight?" This question caught Duo off guard. So far he had managed to avoid this part of talking to Heero, but he should have known that it would never last.

"I'm not sure…" At this point he pressed just a little too hard on the delicate object and it snapped in half.

"Dammit!" He cursed as he picked up the two halves and examined the damage.

"You really don't have a clue, do you?" remarked Heero. Duo silently began to fume at this comment but refused to show this. Placing the useless, yet highly well polished, scrap on the table Duo raised his gaze to meet Heero's stare.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. In the end it makes very little difference."

"Deep statement for you, isn't it?" It was less of a question and more of a fact, but that was the same with anything Heero said.

"Are trying to get me angry or something?" Muttered Duo darkly.

"I'm trying to determine what's wrong." Was all Heero said in his defence.

"Well, nothing's wrong-"

"That's a lie. Goes against everything you believe about yourself doesn't it? 'I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie.'" Heero pushed his point further.

"Look Heero, I said 'nothing's wrong-" At this point Duo's defence was left with a hole the size of Alaska in the middle. His head gave an almighty throb and he gasped involuntarily. Dropping everything he was holding he gripped his skull against the agonising pain. Duo tried to focus but the universe just melded into a swirl of colour. The spinning refused to abate and Duo didn't know what to do.

Heero walked over with a grim satisfaction set in his face. Crouching down he prised Duo's hands off his head and carefully set the boy upright. Duo's breath was coming in short and pained gasps. His eyes were squeezed shut as he attempted to place the world in some kind of working order that didn't involve pretty colours moving in a surreal pattern.

"Come on." Said Heero. He was secretly unnerved at seeing his friend in so much pain. Duo had been beaten repeatedly, blown up regularly and generally really injured in the past wars, but Heero had never seen him in this much obvious pain. Slowly he stood Duo up and guided him through to the kitchen. Sitting him down Heero began to methodically raid the cupboards.

"Whatcha looking for?" Groaned Duo as he tried to place some of his old vigour into the statement.

"First aid box. Or some kind of painkiller." Heero's voice was still a blank monotone.

"Wasting ya time old buddy." He said with a halfhearted laugh. Duo did his best to ignore the lovely purple and red spirals that danced over his vision and fought to focus on the blurred surroundings.

"Why?" Heero kicked himself inwardly as he asked the question. He already knew the answer.

"Don't keep any." Duo's voice had become a bare whisper and the sentences were fit between harsh breaths and dull gasps.

"Hn." Was the only reply Heero could give.

"You don't need to help me." Duo was sounding worse every time he spoke.

"Why?" Heero was beginning to find this extension of his vocabulary annoying. He was starting to sound like an ignorant five year old.

"It'll go… It always does…" His head was finally too heavy for him to keep up and it fell forward. Slipping against his palm it dropped with a thud onto the table. Sweat kept most of his bangs and stray strands of hair ensnared against his pasty complexion.

"Duo?" Heero questioned, but he knew better than to expect an answer. Duo was unconscious again.

~

__

Beep… Beep… Beepbeep… Beepbeep…Beepbeepbeep…

Heero stared at the small red light that flashed in the corner. The beeping was the warning that a call was coming through. As the automated answer machine clicked in a synthesised version of Duo's voice could be heard.

"Sorry I'm not here at the moment, but if ya that desperate to talk to me leave a message after the beep!" A small vid-screen flared into life a young female's face appeared.

"Duo, you'd better be on your way here! Those parts should have been in yesterday and you're late! The manager's having a fit so I hope you're hurrying!" The angry face disappeared and Heero stared at the screen.

Duo hadn't come to since his last unconscious spell and had missed over twenty-four hours.

__

'Guess he's not ahead of schedule anymore…' thought Heero. As the message finished Heero heard a small sigh from behind him. Duo was stood there staring at the screen.

"When you don't get things right, shout at the workers." He said. Heero just continued to look blank so he elaborated.

"She's administration. Whenever admin make a mess of things we take the blame."

"You know admin have messed up this time?" Said Heero, wondering if Duo knew how much time he had missed.

"Yep. Because this engine doesn't need to be ready for another week on my calendar, so admin must've have changed the date. They just panic themselves y'know. We always get the stuff ready on time." Duo went over and hit the erase button. He looked like a ghost of his former self. His headache had cut back a lot compared to the attack, but the after-effects were still obvious. His pale face looked as if he hadn't slept for days when he had just been unconscious for over one. His braid hung neat and tidy down his back, showing that he was ready for another day, and his fresh black jumpsuit was fastened high up his neck.

"How long was I out for?" He queried. His voice was light but showed signs of being strained. It was like his vocal chords had been out of use for a long time.

"You have been unconscious for twenty-four hours, thirty eight minutes and nineteen seconds." Heero's voice was regimental and his record of time superbly accurate.

"That precise, huh? Some things never change, eh Heero?" Duo wandered over to the window and looked at the crowd below.

"I'm gonna have to run into work. Sounds like there's a storm brewing if nothing else." Duo's attention remained fixed on the crowd below and it was as if he was simply talking to the room in general. Heero almost choked at this comment. There was no way Duo could go to work when he wasn't even able to stay upright. But who was he to counter Duo's decision? Duo left the windowsill and stooped over the table. Sorting out the pieces that were ready and those that were not he prepared for work.

Heero had just been about to comment when the infernal beeping began again. This time Duo answered it. The girl's face appeared on the screen again.

"Duo Maxwell! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" She had no problems with shouting at Duo, even though it was glaringly obvious his health was on the blink.

"Yes. Actually Andrea Carlson, I am aware of the time." Duo's voice seemed to be on edge and it barely crackled as he replied in an equally curt manner.

"Well, I hope you're as aware of the time when it costs you your job! You are two hours late!"

"Well done Miss Marple!" Snapped Duo.

"What did you say?" Her eyes narrowed and she glared at Duo. He knew that he had pushed a bit too far and backed down. _'Spineless! Spineless!'_ rang through his head.

"Nothing Miss Carlson. I apologise. I must have overslept." His eyes clouded darkly as he forced himself to tell only half the truth and not attempt to kill her. She was the bane of his job and that of every other mechanic in the shop.

"When can the manager expect you to be in then? Well?" She had turned a funny shade of red as she continued in a high pitched and piercing voice.

"I'm on my way as we speak Assistant Manager." Duo spoke resignedly and reached for the terminate button.

"Good! I expect you to be here in less than-" Duo terminated the transmission and leaned hard against the wall. He could feel Heero's eyes boring a hole into the side of his head.

"And you would have had me do what, Mr. Perfect?" Duo sighed and rested his head back, resisting the urge to fall straight to sleep. Heero had no reply and personally thought that Duo wouldn't last the day if he went to work.

"Maybe you should have tried taking a day off." Heero made it sound very simple.

"What?! Easier said than done." Duo stared at Heero as if he had just gone mad before his eyes. Heero made no reply to this and merely nodded acceptance. Duo continued gathering everything together and constantly glanced at his watch. Heero decided to try an experiment.

"You can go to work, if you can get past me." Duo stopped in the middle of the room. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide.

"Meaning…?"

"You can go to work if you can pass me. If you're perfectly fine then it's no problem, is it?" Heero made the challenge sound as if it was an everyday occurrence and nothing unusual.

"Heero, you know as well as I do that I've never beaten you. So, let's not even go there, shall we?" Duo's voice held a menacing edge.

"You've never tried to beat me. And you did shoot me when we first met." A small smile almost curved at Heero's mouth. The memory seemed to amuse him. Duo just continued to stare in disbelief. His mind raced as old instincts assessed the situation and it was clear to a blind man that Heero had the upper hand. Duo had enough strength to fight, but the lack of a mobile suit made the odds turn in Heero's favour. There was no way Duo had enough energy to confront Heero at that moment. He was in desperate need of some proper sleep and not the rest he'd had as a result of losing consciousness repeatedly.

"There is no reason for this argument, Heero. It's not the first time I've suffered from a little headache. There's nothing the matter and I need to get to work." Duo tried to make Heero sound as if he was fussing. But it was evident that Heero was perfectly correct, no more, no less.

Heero was on the verge of just giving in. If Duo wanted to hurt himself then it was his problem, he needed to get information on the war and any missions in which he would be partaking. However, something told him that there was more at stake than just Duo's health. An old warning bell rang firmly in the back of his mind saying that there was danger nearby. Heero knew better than to ignore that warning. If the only way to keep marginally safe from that danger was for the pair of them to stick together then that was what Heero would do. It was just like the old missions they had received in the past when they had been forced to work as a team.

"Those are the terms Duo, like it or not." Heero said, his voice firm.

"Fine." Duo growled as he placed the parts back on the table and stood straight. He swayed slightly as he prepared to fight Heero, but refused to back out. It had never been in his nature to quit and he would sooner burn than start now.

Heero straightened himself up and wondered what to do now. He knew that if he lost control for a moment he would probably seriously injure Duo and that was all the career obsessed fool needed now. He hadn't allowed the others to see him lose control in battle, but that didn't mean that it never happened. Taking a step back with his right foot, Heero balanced his weight and brought his hands up to protect his head against attack. Desperately he controlled the merciless instincts that had developed over the hard years of training and war. Duo allowed his hands to hang in a relaxed posture at his sides as he carefully adjusted his balance ready to fight. The pair stood facing each other, unreadable expressions of mixed emotions covering their flickeringly blank faces.

The tension crackled in the air, waiting for the correct moment to break into an electrical storm of concentration and battle as it always did during a conflict. Duo was the first to make a move. Taking a half step towards Heero he went to side-step the Japanese boy and was blocked by the assassin's quick reflexes. Unfortunately they were too quick. As Heero went to block Duo the side of his fist caught the American hard on the temple and knocked him into the wall. Rushing to see just what he'd done he quietly cursed himself, condemning himself to the hottest level of Hell. Duo lay prone and unmoving on the floor. Heero quickly turned the teenager over and checked his pulse. It was weak and fast and an angry bruise was forming on Duo's temple and on the left side of his face where he had come into contact with the wall. Heero would normally have just bided his time and waited for the fool to wake up, but with his recent blackouts the ex-Wing Zero pilot wasn't sure this was such a brilliant plan.

Walking with an air of calm, Heero picked up the phone and began to contact the emergency services.

"Hello, this is the L2 emergency services link. Please state the nature of your emergency." A prim and quick voice asked.

"My friend has just fallen unconscious due to an accident to the side of his head. I wouldn't be too concerned, except that he's been experiencing blackouts lately." Heero responded in his mechanical voice.

"I see… You'll be needing an ambulance then. Can you give me your name please young man, so I know who I'm talking to?" Her voice took on an almost motherly tone as she spoke to Heero.

"My name is H… Harry Young." Heero covered up his mistake without missing a beat.

"Right Harry, I would normally tell you to remain calm and not to panic, but you seem to pretty much in control of your emotions… So, I want you to give me some details on your friend, okay?"

"Hn." Heero replied as he thought up a cover story.

"What's your friends name?"

"Dan Mason." Heero said, committing the name to memory.

"Dan Mason, good. Now how old is he?" Heero suddenly felt his gut send him a sharp warning, but he was unsure as to what he'd noticed. His mind was still reeling from the fact he had done this to Duo.

"He's seventeen." _'I think'_ Heero added silently to himself.

"Right. Well, Harry. The ambulance will be there in about thirty seconds by now, so I want you to make sure they can get in. If you have anymore problems just call me straight back." With that she hung up. Heero knew that there was something very wrong going on, but he had never used the emergency services before, unless you counted stealing that ambulance when he'd first arrived on Earth. Walking back over to Duo, he checked his pulse again. No change. It was just as he prepared to unlock the door that everything fell into chaos.


End file.
